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Yellow paint accents the flattened part of Thor Hushovd's (Garmin-Cervélo) Cervélo S5 down tube. Cervélo claim this modification helps divert air around water bottles for improved aerodynamics in real-world conditions

Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo) uses the forward position on the dual-setback Cervélo S5 seatpost

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Cervélo say the S5 geometry was carried over from the latest R3, which was designed such that every rider on the team could achieve their desired bar height with a -17° stem and no spacers. Looks like they've got room to spare on Thor Hushovd's machine

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Garmin-Cervélo riders have been using a number of different Mavic wheels already in this year's Tour. This particular 80mm-deep carbon tubular rim rotates around a non-aero aluminum hub shell in contrast to the aero aluminum or carbon-and-aluminum ones used on other wheels

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Some Garmin-Cervélo riders have also been spotted with this 80mm-deep Mavic wheel. While it's slathered in giant 'Cosmic' decals, the smaller model name decal says 'Comete'

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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One thing you can always bet on with Alberto Contador's (Saxo Bank-Sungard) bikes - his bar tape is perfect, courtesy of magician mechanic Faustino Munoz

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) is using a new grey-compound carbon-specific pad from SwissStop

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Alberto Contador's (Saxo Bank-Sungard) bike is once again fitted with anodized aluminum cable housing - and he's the only member of the team using it

Specialized say Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) hasn't had enough testing time on the new Tarmac SL4 to be comfortable on it for the Tour de France so instead he's using his pair of custom painted S-Works Tarmac SL3 machines instead

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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We don't know what sort of mechanical trickery Saxo Bank-Sungard head mechanic Faustino Munoz has used on Alberto Contador's pedals but they spin incredibly smoothly. Munoz wouldn't let us shoot a video of them but rest assured that given a good flick, they'll spin freely on their own for several seconds

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Likewise, Saxo Bank-Sungard head mechanic Faustino Munoz has tweaked the rear derailleur pulleys on Alberto Contador's machine such that they spin noticeably faster and smoother than stock

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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See a single speck of dirt or grime on the cassette, chain or rear derailleur of Alberto Contador's (Saxo Bank-Sungard) bike? Neither do we

Saxo Bank-Sungard are mostly on Specialized's Venge and Tarmac SL3 machines, though two riders are on the newer McLaren development bike (basically a test mule for an upcoming ultra-premium version of the new SL4)

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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The new Specialized Tarmac SL4 uses a slightly slimmed down tapered head tube as compared to the SL3 but the down tube and top tube are still very wide, lending a unique profile to the front-end view

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Specialized has provided Saxo Bank-Sungard and HTC-Highroad with two different versions of its 'Project Black' S-Works McLaren test bike - one with ports for mechanical routing and another for Di2 only

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Specialized won't officially confirm that this is an upcoming S-Works McLaren Tarmac SL4, preferring instead to refer to it as a "Project Black S-Works McLaren development bike"

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Saxo Bank-Sungard's team bikes ride to the start area atop the team car. One notable omission, though, is Alberto Contador's machine, which rides more securely in a lower hold on the team bus

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Saxo Bank-Sungard team mechanic Alejandro Torralbo has a lot of tires to glue just before the start of the Tour de France but he still has a smile on his face

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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Zipp PR man Andy Paskins says the new 808 Firecrest will be Saxo Bank's go-to wheel on flatter stages when there isn't too much wind

(James Huang/BikeRadar)

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With contents like this, it's no wonder teams like Saxo Bank-Sungard go to such extreme measures to secure their team vehicles

Reigning world road champion Thor Hushovd got a nice bonus present to go along with the yellow jersey he and his Garmin-Cervélo squad won in the team time trial on Sunday: a new, yellow-accented Cervélo S5 aero road bike with all the trimmings suitable for the current leader of the Tour de France.

In contrast to some other special leaders' bikes we've seen in the past, Cervélo continue with their latest trend of subtle accents instead of the full-blown monochrome treatment. Hushovd's S5 is mainly black, with yellow stripes and panels on the top tube and fork blades, a bit of yellow on the flattened top of the lower section of down tube, and a yellow "é" icon on the head tube. The bar tape and SRAM Red lever hoods are yellow, too, but otherwise it's essentially standard fare – even the Fi'zi:k Arione CX Carbon saddle retains the usual red stripe instead of a yellow one (at least for now).

Cables are fed into the top of the top tube on thor hushovd's (garmin-cervélo) yellow-accented cervélo s5: cables are fed into the top of the top tube on thor hushovd's (garmin-cervélo) yellow-accented cervélo s5

Cables are fed into the top of the top tube on Thor Hushovd's (Garmin-Cervélo) yellow-accented Cervélo S5

Speedy bearings for Alberto Contador

On the surface, Alberto Contador's (Saxo Bank-Sungard) Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL3 is a regular production frame with a (very) fancy paintjob and a smattering of top-end components – heck, the SL3 could even be considered old now that Specialized have announced the SL4 and put some other sponsored Tour de France riders on an even higher-end McLaren development mule. However, as we've found with the Spaniard's bikes in years past, it's what you can't see that makes the difference here.

Contador's personal wrench, Faustino Munoz, has long been known to go far above and beyond when it comes to the mechanical details of his client's machine. First off, it's always immaculate whenever we see it (except during and after a stage, of course), with characteristically bleach-white bar tape that's exquisitely applied, a surgically clean drivetrain, and gleaming paint – even the tires look perpetually brand-new.

Munoz pays the same level of attention to the inner workings – in particular bearings. Every rotating item on Contador's bike spins with an almost impossibly low amount of friction that puts even the best box-stock machines to shame. Flick the drivetrain backwards and the crank spins as if there's no chain attached; spin a derailleur pulley on its own and it whirs silently; lift the front end and the wheel oscillates almost perpetually like a powered metronome; and most impressively, even the nearly inertia-free Speedplay Zero pedals will whirl for a couple of seconds if you nudge one with your finger.

Likewise, saxo bank-sungard head mechanic faustino munoz has tweaked the rear derailleur pulleys on alberto contador's machine such that they spin noticeably faster and smoother than stock: likewise, saxo bank-sungard head mechanic faustino munoz has tweaked the rear derailleur pulleys on alberto contador's machine such that they spin noticeably faster and smoother than stock

Saxo Bank-Sungard head mechanic Faustino Munoz has tweaked the rear derailleur pulleys on Alberto Contador's machine such that they spin noticeably faster and smoother than stock.

What's the secret? Unfortunately, like all top-shelf mechanics, Munoz wouldn't reveal his magic. In fact, he wouldn't even allow us to shoot a video of what we just described. Full-ceramic bearings are a safe bet, however, especially given what we know is in use by a few other riders in the peloton, plus extra-low viscosity lubrication (if any at all). It may even be possible that Munoz has removed a few seals in search of a faster roll (Contador's bike is fastidiously maintained after all – don't try doing this at home).

Reliable sources have also suggested that Munoz is particularly obsessive in terms of bearing preload – something that's particularly noticeable in the bottom bracket, what with the relatively imprecise wave washer setups that are normally used in BB30 systems like Contador's. Our guess would be a finely tuned micro-shim configuration that allows for perfect adjustment.

Either way, to say that every measure has been taken to ensure that Contador's machine is as speedy as possible would certainly be accurate. So does bearing friction matter? In most cases, given the modest gains afforded by the multitude of mediocre 'upgrades' currently on the market, probably not. But the difference in friction between Contador's bike and one off the showroom floor is remarkable and anyone who experienced it in person would find it hard to argue otherwise.

We don't know what sort of mechanical trickery saxo bank-sungard head mechanic faustino munoz has used on alberto contador's pedals but they spin incredibly smoothly. munoz wouldn't let us shoot a video of them but rest assured that given a good flick, they'll spin freely on their own for several seconds: we don't know what sort of mechanical trickery saxo bank-sungard head mechanic faustino munoz has used on alberto contador's pedals but they spin incredibly smoothly. munoz wouldn't let us shoot a video of them but rest assured that given a good flick, they'll spin freely on their own for several seconds

Given a good flick, Alberto Contador's Speedplay Zero pedals will spin freely on their own for several seconds.

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Preferred Terrain: Up in the Colorado high-country where the singletrack is still single, the dirt is still brown, and the aspens are in full bloom. Also, those perfect stretches of pavement where the road snakes across the mountainside like an artist's paintbrush.